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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231077">oh, take me back to the start</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/muItifandomjess/pseuds/muItifandomjess'>muItifandomjess</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, Hogwarts First Year, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:28:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/muItifandomjess/pseuds/muItifandomjess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The road to true love is never easy, even if you are soulmates.</p><p>OR: The one when Harry and Draco are soulmates, but when they meet, it’s not love at first sight - in fact, it’s kind of the opposite.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>197</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>oh, take me back to the start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Draco Malfoy had always hated his words.</p><p>You see, in a world where the words imprinted on your skin were supposed to be the first thing your soulmate said to you, Draco’s had to be the most generic and unhelpful anyone could possibly have. After all, a person could only hear the word “Yes” so many times in a day a day before going completely mad hoping to meet their soulmate each time.</p><p>On the other hand, his father had always been under the impression that Draco’s words - sorry, his <em> word </em> - was a good thing.</p><p>“It means that your soulmate is destined to be on your side,” his father had declared, “and if your soulmate is on your side, that can only be an advantage. You have a good match, my son.”</p><p>Draco disagreed. He couldn’t bear the thought of having someone agree with you all the time - life was bound to get very boring very quickly, and no matter what destiny had in mind, he was determined not to live a boring life.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Harry Potter had spent most of his life staring down at his words, wondering what who or what “Hogwarts” could possibly be.</p><p>He’d done his best to find out, but no matter how long he searched or who he asked, it seemed that no one had ever heard of anything called Hogwarts, and it was in no book or paper or any sort of reference that Harry could find.</p><p>“Stuff and nonsense, that’s what it is,” the Dursleys had always said whenever he asked, “and don’t ask questions.”</p><p>Don’t ask questions… Harry had always had trouble following that rule. But that was okay, because it seemed his soulmate did too, whoever they were.</p><p>His soulmate… Harry spent a lot of time thinking about who they could be. He would trace the elegant line of script on the inside of his arm with gentle fingers and whisper the words to himself, trying to imagine what his life would be like for someone to say “Hello, Hogwarts too?” to him. He hoped it would be exciting. It had to be - anywhere, even this mystical “Hogwarts” had to be better than here.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>As birthdays go, Harry’s eleventh was one for the records.</p><p>He’d spent most of the day tearing across the country with the Dursleys, still trying to shake off the mysterious letter writer. “Who wants to talk to <em> you </em> this badly?” Dudley had asked in amazement, and Harry had privately agreed. He’d never even had a letter before now - but whoever was trying to get in touch was certainly very determined about it. Harry hoped they succeeded.</p><p>Then, they met a <em> giant </em> of a man who told Harry that he was a wizard… honestly, Harry was not sure what to think. He was just Harry, after all… there was no way he could be a wizard. But then the giant - Hagrid, apparently - handed him a thick envelope, and then Harry was finally breaking the seal and holding the letter in his hands at last. That’s when he saw the elusive, impossible word that he had spent so long searching for… <em> Hogwarts.</em></p><p><em> Dear Mr. Potter</em>, the letter read, <em> We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry</em>.</p><p>Harry swallowed, his fingers shaking as he gripped at his letter. Hogwarts… after all this time, he finally had an answer. It was a school! It was a school of witches and wizards and <em> magic</em>, and his soulmate was bound to be there too. </p><p>His heart pounding, Harry fought the urge to pull up his sleeve and check his words, just to be sure. “Hello, Hogwarts too?” echoed through him, and he just <em> knew </em> that he was going to meet his soulmate soon.</p><p>Speechless, Harry looked up at Hagrid to find Hagrid beaming back at him. “You see?” Hagrid said. “Harry Potter not a wizard… just you wait.”</p><p>Harry smiled and looked down at his letter again. He had found his mysterious Hogwarts at last, and he was sure to meet his soulmate... Harry had the feeling his life was about to get <em> very </em> interesting.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Draco was going to Hogwarts.</p><p>Of course, he’d always known that he would - they’d be mad to try to keep out someone in a wizarding family as old as his, but it was good to hear all the same. When the school owl brought his letter, he’d given a shout and run to show his parents.</p><p>“Ah, so it’s time at last,” his father said. “You’ll be a great wizard, Draco.”</p><p>“We’re proud of you,” his mother translated, pulling him into a rare hug.</p><p>The next day, they went to Diagon Alley to get his school things. He stopped in Madam Malkin’s to get his robes and stood there, trying not to fidget with nervous energy as they pinned up his robes.</p><p>As he waited, another boy came in - he was tall and gangly, with a untidy black hair and striking green eyes.</p><p>“Hello,” Draco said, looking the new boy up and down. “Hogwarts too?”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>His heart in his throat, Harry stared at the boy who had just said the words he had been waiting for for so long - <em> his </em> words.</p><p>He couldn’t think of anything especially clever to say, so he just said “yes,” slowly. </p><p>Harry searched the boy’s face for any response, but he just shrugged and nodded, before he started going on about brooms and Quidditch, whatever that was, and something about houses, which apparently included Slytherin and Hufflepuff.</p><p>Feeling more stupid by the minute, Harry wished he had something more interesting to say other than “yes” and “no,” but the boy seemed to be doing just fine on his own. He was starting to wonder whether there had been some kind of horrible mistake, because surely this drawling boy couldn’t possibly be his soulmate.</p><p>But then Hagrid showed up and jolted Harry out of his gloomy thoughts. He was happy to finally know something about Hogwarts, but the boy didn’t have a high opinion of Hagrid - he didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of anything at all, Harry thought. </p><p>In the end, he was almost glad to get away, soulmate or not - it was only later that he realized he didn’t even know the boy’s name.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>So apparently the boy he met in Malkin’s store had been Harry Potter.</p><p>Draco could have kicked himself - he didn’t believe he had been such an idiot as to not even ask the other boy’s name. Instead, he had prattled on, and on, and on, mostly about himself. He really couldn’t blame Potter for refusing his offer of friendship so blatantly - although that certainly didn’t mean he was happy about it.</p><p>“But why doesn’t he <em> like </em> me?” Draco complained as they sprinted out of the compartment after the Weasley boy’s mad rat attacked Goyle. “Everybody likes me.”</p><p>“Forget about him,” Crabbe said.</p><p>“Yeah, if he doesn’t like you, he’s not worth it,” Goyle agreed.</p><p>Draco huffed and shook his head. He would try to put Potter out of his mind, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Draco Malfoy </em> is your soulmate?” Ron said, sounding shocked.</p><p>“Well, maybe he’s not,” Harry said. “He didn’t recognize me, but the only things I said to him were yes or no…”</p><p>Ron shrugged. “So he’s got a generic phrase as his soulmark - I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t know if it was you.”</p><p>“All right,” Harry said, “so say that it is him. How do I tell him? Do I <em> want </em> to tell him? I mean, he is a bit of a prat.”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Ron agreed, “but maybe he’s <em> your </em> prat.”</p><p>Harry snorted. “Yeah, you would know,” he said, “you’ve already found yours.”</p><p>Ron smiled fondly. He had met “Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then” only minutes before Malfoy showed up. His soulmate was Hermione Granger - she had bushy hair and a firey personality, and Harry was sure she and Ron would get on like a house on fire.</p><p>“Yeah, she sure is something,” Ron said. “But that’s what I’m saying! Maybe you don’t get on right away - so what? If you’re soulmates, it’s got to be worth trying.”</p><p>“You really think so?” Harry asked, his voice small. He had spent so long dreaming about finally meeting his soulmate only to have missed his moment… he didn’t think he could bear to face the disappointment again.</p><p>“I really think so,” Ron said.</p><p>Harry nodded, thinking of the words on his arm. Draco Malfoy <em> was </em> his soulmate - he just didn’t know it yet. Destiny had done its job - the rest was up to Harry.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Of course, it was never going to be easy.</p><p>During the next week, Malfoy teased Harry and his friends relentlessly, seeming determined to make Harry’s life as difficult as possible. Harry tried not to let it get to him. Draco was bound to be embarrassed and bitter after their disastrous first meetings - he wasn’t about to be <em> nice </em> to them.</p><p>A week passed and nothing changed. Harry’s words were still there, as indelible as always. Draco Malfoy was still his soulmate. Why, Harry couldn’t possibly imagine - maybe the universe was trying to tell him something.</p><p>So, the next day, Harry worked up his courage and went to confront Malfoy as he was leaving the Great Hall after breakfast. He had no idea what he was going to say that would convince Malfoy they were soulmates… but he had to try.</p><p>“Hey, Malfoy!” he called.</p><p>Malfoy turned, and his lip curled, his eyes flashing. “Potter,” he said cooly. “What do you want?”</p><p>“I just…” Harry floundered, “I just wanted to know how your first week was going.”</p><p>Malfoy stared at him. “Why?” he said. “It’s not like we’re <em> friends</em>, Potter - you made that perfectly clear.”</p><p>“What if I want to be?” Harry said. “A person can change their mind, can’t they?”</p><p>Malfoy stared at him. “Well yes, but <em> why </em> ?” he asked. “Why would <em> you </em> want to be <em> my </em> friend?”</p><p>“Because… because…” Harry stammered. Malfoy was still staring at him. He looked completely flummoxed, and Harry still had no idea what to say. Then, something in him snapped, and he was pulling up the sleeve of his robes to show Malfoy his arm. “Because of this,” Harry said, “because your words are on my skin, and you didn’t even know me.”</p><p>Malfoy looked down at Harry’s words, his lips moving as he whispered them to himself. Harry saw a spark of recognition in his eyes, before it was quickly shut down again.</p><p>“So you think I’m your soulmate, Potter?” Malfoy sneered. “Fat chance.”</p><p>Harry frowned. For some reason, Malfoy was determined not to believe him, but Harry knew the truth. Deep down, he had always known that he was never going to have a simple, boring soulmate. He didn’t think he could bear having a boring life.</p><p>Draco Malfoy was anything but boring - he was just as stubborn and infuriating and impossible as Harry was. Harry was sure that they would be quite happy challenging and sniping at each other for the rest of their lives… if they just gave each other a chance.</p><p>“Yes,” Harry said firmly, trying to put everything he was feeling into that single word.</p><p>Malfoy’s eyes widened, and his hand came up to cover his heart. His eyes searched Harry’s, and for once, they were both speechless, staring at each other as the moment stretched around them.</p><p>“Was that…” Harry said, reaching out to cover Malfoy’s hand with his own. Somehow, he knew that he had just said Malfoy’s words for the second time.</p><p>“Yes,” Malfoy breathed. “I didn’t realize it was you before; I’ve heard it so many times…”</p><p>“But this time was different,” Harry said softly.</p><p>“Yes,” Malfoy agreed simply. His fingers were trembling slightly against Harry’s, but neither of them seemed inclined to move away.</p><p>They stared at each other some more. Then, Malfoy’s lips twitched and Harry watched in amazement as he burst into uncontrollable laughter. Laughter was contagious, it turned out - soon, Harry was laughing too.</p><p>When they finally came up for air, they were both breathless, their fingers twined together. Harry didn’t ever want to let go.</p><p>“So, we’re soulmates,” Malfoy said, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>“We’re soulmates,” Harry agreed, his lips twitching. “Who would have guessed?”</p><p>“Not me, obviously,” Malfoy said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>Harry shrugged. “It was always going to be an adventure,” he said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”</p><p>“To adventures,” Malfoy said, and Harry smiled.</p><p>Whatever came next, he knew they would face it together, hand in hand. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>F I N</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
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